Double shank adjustable wall tie



Oct. 1l, 1966 w. BRYNJOLFSSON ETAL. 3,2?7626 OUBLE SHANK ADJUSTABLE WALL TIE Filed 001;. 17, 1963 United States Patent O 3,277,626 DOUBLE SHANK ADJUSTABLE WALL TIE Wilfred Bryniolfsson and William H. Bartlett, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, assignors to Dur-O-Wal National, Inc., a corporation of Iowa Filed Oct. 17,1963, Ser. No. 317,002 4 Claims. (Cl. 52-713) This application relates to building and more particularly to a wall -tying means for use with -spaced wythes consisting of premolded elements secured by a bonding material.

One form of standard masonry wall construction comprehends the use of parallel wythes each formed of a plurality of premolded elements, such as concrete blocks or the like, and held together by a cementing or bonding material, such as mortar. Each wythe is formed in Ia manner typical for regular block construction with a plurality of horizontal courses wherein the individual blocks in each course are staggered relative to the blocks in the lower course. The two wythes Iare tied together as a unit by means disposed in the bonding material between each of the courses of each of the wythes which means extend into the space between the two wythes in opposed relation to each other for co'securement together as a unit.

It is preferable that the two wythes be not necessarily horizontally aligned since this may involve additional expense and labor. Therefore the tying means used to secure the two wythes as a unit should be capable of a horizontal engagement irrespective of the lack of horizontal alignment of the respective layers of bonding material in each wythe in which the tying means are imbedded.

Current tying means used for the above described purpose consist of but a single engaging means for each member positioned in the respective wythes. It has been found that in some cases such a single point of securement is not adequate for firmly stabilizing the two wythes as a unit. Moreover, with present tying means it is sometimes necessary, such as when approaching a corner or the end of a wythe, to sever a portion of the tying means so that the remainder thereof may be wholly conlined within the wythe. Generally the severed portion has been relatively unuseable and therefore wasted.

While it might be possible to double the wall :ties at a given point to overcome the first mentioned problem this would be an ineicient and costly means of so overcoming the problem. Furthermore, this would still not aid in the solution of the second problem for if the ties were to be used at points where a portion might have to be severed the severed portion would still be relatively unuseable and therefore a waste material.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a new and improved wall tie meansl It is another object of this invention to provide a new and improved wall tie means which is free from the objections mentioned above.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a new and improved wall tie means comprising a pair of mating elements having engaging surfaces adapted for plural securement.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a new 4and improved wall tie rmeans consisting of mating elements having points of plural securement adapted to be severed into pairs of mating elements having single points of securement.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary isometric view of a cavity wall utilizing the wall tie means of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion 3,277,626 Patented Oct. 11, 1966 ICC of the cavity wall shown in FIGURE 1 illustrating the securement of the tie means of this invention;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section view taken along the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section view illustrating an alternate means of positioning the male tie member;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the -male and female members of the wal-l tie means of this invention illustrating the severance thereof into two pairs of operable comp-onents;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective View `of the severed portions of the wall tying means illustrated in FIGURE 5 showing the means of operable engagement thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the severed p0rtions of the wall tying means illustrated in FIGURE 5 showing an alternate means of operable engagement thereof;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of a Wall course utilizing the severed elements of the wall tying means of this invention;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary top plan View of a w-all course showing another means of utilizing the severed portions of the wa-ll tying means of this invention; and

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of a wall course showing lanother means of ut-ilizing the severed portions of the wall tying means of this invention.

As illustrated in the drawings the tie means 10 of this invention is adapted for use with a caivty wall 12 consisting of a pair of spaced wall wythes 14 land 16 having a cavity 18 therebetween. Each wythe comprises a plurality lof premolded elements 19 such as concrete blocks or the like, secured together by cementing or bonding means 20, .such as mortar or the like, in a plurality of horizontal courses or layers wherein the individual blocks 19 are vertically staggered relative to the blocks in the layer therebelow and vertically aligned relative to the blocks tw-o layers therebelow in a conventional brick or block-type wall construction.

The wall tie means of this invention comprises -a male member 22 and a female member 23 adapted for interlocking engagement to secure the two wythes 14 iand 16 together as a cavity wall unit. The female member is a generally U-shaped member of heavy Wire stock metal having a base 24 and a pair of outwardly extending generally parallel arms 26 and 28. The arms are substantially coplanar with each other .and extend generally transverse to the base and are also coplanar therewith. Each arm is bent upon itself at the free end thereof to form an eye 30 and 32, respectively, having an opening generally transverse to the plane of the arms and the base.

The male member is also a generally U-shaped member of heavy wire stock metal having a base 34 and a pair of outwardly extending generally parallel arms 36 Iand 38.

The arms 36 and 38 are also substantially coplanar with each other and extend generally transverse to the base and coplanar therewith. Each arm 36 and 38 is bent at the free end thereof to form a downwardly extending finger 40 and 42, respectively, which extends generally transverse to the plane of the base and the arms. The eyes 30 and 32 of the female member form the female element -thereof which is adapted to receive the nger 40 and 42 which are the male elements of the male member for locking the female and male members together as a unit. To facilitate the insertion of the fingers of the male memloer through the eye of the female member, the tips 44 and 46 of each of the fingers is slightly turned toward the base member to enable a slight rocking of the male member to insure insertion thereof into the eyes of the female member.

As shown in FIGURE 3, where the horizontal bonding layers of the wythe 16 are slightly higher than the respective layers of the wythe 1-4, the male member is positioned so that the linger thereof extends downwardly' through the eyes of the female member. Conversely, as shown in FIGURE 4, where the horizontal bonding layers of wythe 16 are slightly lower than those of wythe 14, the male members are arranged so that the fingers thereof extend upwardly thereof through the eyes' of the female member. In either position, the male and female members are interlocked so that the arms thereof are in the closest horizontal planes to each other for maximum strength. When the male member is positioned with the fingers thereof projecting up, as shown in FIGURE 3, the notches 41 an-d 43, formed at the bend of the arms 36 and 38, respectively, also serve as drip guards to collect moisture present in the wall cavity 118.

vAs clearly illustrated in FIGURl-l 2, each male and female member provide a double bond or two points of securement between the two wythes. Yet this is accomplis-hed by using male and female members which have a base piece no longer than the base piece of former tying pieces wherein only a single point of secu-rement was btained. Furthermore, such tying devices usually comprised a piece of metal bent upon itself to form the eye andtwo juxtaposed arms which ared outwardly into two colinear opposed base pieces. Such a constru-ction used as much material as is now required to form this generally U-shaped male and female member of the wall tying device of this invention.

Another feature of the wall tie of this invention is illustrated in FIGURES 5-10. As shown therein the male and female members may be cut at the mid-portion of the respective bases to form -bases 34a and 34h and 24a and 24b, respectively, and thereby produce two male members 22a and 22h, and two female members 23a and 2312. Either of the male members 22a or ZZb may Ibe used in conjunction with either of the two female members 23a or 23b to form a wall tying device. Either female member may be turned over so that the a portion becomes a b portion or 'the b portion becomes an a portion. The advantage of using the a portion of .one member with the b portion of the other member is illustrated in FIGURE wherein it might be desirable to tie the ends of two opposed spaced wythes 14a and 16a. As .shown in FIGURE 8 the common a portions of each member might be used where the spaced wythes end at a common point and it is desirable to tie them fat the end. The same use of the b portions is illustrated *in FIGURE 9.

It is to be noted that, in addition to affording two useable portions or components when the members are severed to accommodate a cutsom made tie, the cut portions may also be used to facilitate unusual types of tying arrangements one of which has been illustrated here. This feature, in addition to the double strength found in the wall tie of this invention which utilizes no more material than former wall ties used for this purpose make this an extremely rversatile as well as economically produced wall tie.

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood .that it is capable of many modications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set out in the appended claims.

We claim:

l1. An adjustable wall tie for cosecuring spaced wythes each formed of preformed block elements secu-red in courses cementing means in the joints between said courses, said wall tie comprising: a female member having a substantially straight 'base ypiece and a pair of generally parallel spaced arms extending substantially perpendicularly from said base piece and having loops at the free ends thereof, said base piece being adapted to be positioned in the cementing mea-ns of one of said wythes substantially parallel to the .face of the wythe and so that said loops are disposed in the space between said wythes substantially equidi-stant from the wythe in which said 'base piece is positioned and to open generally transverse to the direction of the courses thereof; and a male member having a base piece and a pair of outwardly extend- Ying generally vparallel spaced arms, said male member arms having a turned finger at the free end thereof, each lof said lingers extending generally transverse to the plane of said larms and said base piece so that said male member may be positioned in the cementing means of the other of said spaced wythes with the fingers disposed in the space between the wythes with said ngers extending snugly through said female member loops for tying said wythes together as a unit.

2. The wall tie of claim 1 wherein the axis of each of said loops intersects the longitudinal centerline ofits arm.

3. The wall tie of claim 1 wherein each of said members are formed of heavy wire. l

4. The wall tie of claim 1 wherein said fingers are yfemale member loops.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 524,5 3.1 .8/ 1894 Prescott 52f-714 779,268 1/ 1905 Elliott 52-428 819,869 5/ 1906 Dunlap 52-714 1,304,651 5/ 1919 Bodine 52-428 1,946,732 2/11934 Danielson 52,-428 1,959,176 5/ 1934 Rau 52-'379 X 1,998,733 4/1935 Pacific 52--563 2,089,495 8/ 1937 Lewis 52-713 X 2,248,3 48 7 1941 Hall 52-426 FOREIGN PATENTS 129,153 9/1948 Australia.

575,399 5/ 1959 Canada.

949,306 9/ 1956 Germany. 437,965 11/ 1935 Great Britain.

576,569V 4/1946 Great Britain.

OTHER REFERENCES p Brick and Clay Record, April 1949, Call No. TP785.B8,

'p1-s. 22, 2.4, 25 and 27.

Brick and Clay Record, September 1949, Call No. 'I`IP785.B8, p. 28.

FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner. M. O. WARNECKE, Assistant Examiner, 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE WALL TIE FOR COSECURING SPACED WYTHES EACH FORMED OF PREFORMED BLOCK ELEMENTS SECURED IN COURSES COMENTING MEANS IN THE JOINTS BETWEEN SAID COURSES, SAID WALL TIE COMPRISING: A FEMALE MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT BASE PIECE AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY PARALLEL SPACED ARMS EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM SAID BASE PIECE AND HAVING LOOPS AT THE FREE ENDS THEREOF, SAID BASE PIECE BEING ADAPTED TO BE POSITIONED IN THE CEMENTING MEANS OF ONE OF SAID WYTHES SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE FACE OF THE WYTHE AND SO THAT SAID LOOPS ARE DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID WYTHES SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT FROM THE WYTHE IN WHICH SAID BASE PIECE IS POSITIONED AND TO OPEN GENERALLY TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF THE COURSES THEREOF; AND A MALE MEMBER HAVING A BASE PIECE AND A PAIR OF OUTWARDLY EXTENDING GENERALLY PARALLEL SPACED ARMS, SAID MALE MEMBER ARMS HAVING A TURNED FINGER AT THE FREE END THEREOF, EACH OF SAID FINGERS EXTENDING AT THE FREE END THEREOF, EACH OF SAID ARMS AND SAID BASE PIECE SO THAT SAID MALE MEMBER MAY BE POSITIONED IN THE CEMENTING MEANS OF THE OTHER OF SAID SPACED SYTHES WITH THE FINGERS DISPOSED IN THE SPACE BETWEEN THE WYTHES WITH SAID FINGERS EXTENDING SNUGLY THROUGH SAID FEMALE MEMBER LOOPS FOR TYING SAID WYTHES TOGETHER AS A UNIT. 